This invention relates to cleaning device, and more particularly, to a cleaning disc used for cleaning interior components of a compact disc player.
Compact disc (CD) players are commonly found in not only stereo systems used in the home, but also within automobiles. Although compact discs (CDs) are more resilient to becoming damaged than cassette tapes, the surface of a compact disc can become damaged due to contamination within the compact disc player. In order to clean the interior of a CD player, it must be removed from its installed location and disassembled. This removal and disassembly is extremely time consuming. Furthermore, due to the mechanical complexity of many CD players, disassembly by a layman can be a disastrous endeavor in which parts are damaged or lost. Typically, a trained technician is the person who provides such cleaning maintenance for the CD player; however, this type of maintenance is expensive because of the labor involved.
There are devices known which are intended to clean a compact disc. One example of this includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,526 which discloses a radially reciprocating cleaning device.
Another example of a device used for cleaning a compact disc is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,360, which is capable of concurrently cleaning both a magnetic head of a magneto optical disc apparatus and an optical lens thereof.
Yet another example of a compact disc cleaning device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,085. This invention is characterized by an enclosure having a cover and a seat, and a turntable that is rotated on the cover. A cleaning element movably attaches at the near end of the turntable. When the user rotates a knob of the cleaning device, the turntable revolves enabling the cleaning element to rotate within the radius of a compact disc thereby cleaning the disc.
Another example of a device that is used for cleaning a compact disc includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,792, characterized by a sponge-like material surrounded on two sides by substantially rigid plates that serve as support for the sponge-like material. The plates include a number of apertures formed therein. The sponge-like material protrudes through apertures on the plates, allowing the sponge-like material to contact the surface of the compact disc during the cleaning process.
While the foregoing references may be adequate for their intended purpose, each fail to address the primary source of contamination which causes the compact disc to become dirty in the first place. Therefore, while cleaning the compact discs has some merit in preventing damage, a clean compact disc which plays within a contaminated CD player immediately defeats the purpose of cleaning the CD.
A typical front loading automotive CD player has a rubber roller which is positioned just inside the CD opening of the CD player. This rubber roller is driven by a small motor which causes the roller to rotate for purposes of loading and unloading the CD. The roller becomes contaminated by dust, finger oils and general dirt which works its way into the device. Particularly in automotive CDs where CDs are more prone to be exposed to dirt, the CDs themselves often transfer dirt to the rubber roller. Once contaminated, the roller can no longer provide optimum traction on the CD, and may spin freely with a loaded CD moving very slowly or not moving at all in response to contact with the roller. This condition may cause the CD to become jammed, or the CD player may inadvertently eject the CD. Additionally, the continuing roller movement with a stationary or semi-stationary CD causes great damage to the CD itself as the contaminants become embedded within the CD surfaces. Additionally, there are other surfaces which come into contact with the CD as it is loaded within a CD player, such as the upper and lower skid plates which help to guide the CD within the loading chamber of the CD player. These skid plates also become dirty and can cause damage to the CD.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device which allows cleaning of the interior elements of the CD player, without having to dissemble or otherwise remove the CD player from operation. Additionally, there is a need for a device which can be used to clean such interior elements without causing the CD player to jam or otherwise misfunction.
In accordance with this invention, a cleaning disc is provided which cleans the surfaces which normally come into contact with a CD as it is loaded within a CD player. In its simplest form, the cleaning device is a substantially planar disc-like member having a progressively narrowing contour at the front edge thereof in the shape of a semi-circle or taper. The cleaning device simulates a compact disc and the CD player sensors which allow a CD to be loaded within the CD player initially sense the cleaning disc as a CD. However, the back or rear edge of the cleaning disc has stop tabs which prevent the cleaning disc from being loaded completely within the CD player. The device can be made of any thin, rigid material such as cardboard, plastic, or the like. On one or both sides of the device, it may be covered with an absorbent, textured material such as light cotton canvas. The overall thickness of the cleaning device is similar to that of a CD. The textured side of the device may be lightly dampened with a mild liquid cleaner that has a relatively high evaporation rate such as a common household glass cleaner.
In operation, the round or tapered end of the device is inserted within the CD opening of the CD player with the dampened side facing downward to be placed into contact with the load roller. At this time, the load sensors of the CD player activate the load motor and the load roller begins to rotate pulling the cleaning device within the CD player. As the cleaning device is pulled inward, a small amount of liquid cleaner is transferred onto the load roller which begins to dissolve the contaminates thereon. The cleaning device continues to be pulled inward until the stop tabs make contact with the front exterior edge of the CD player. The cleaning device can no longer be loaded any further within the device; however, the load roller will continue to rotate for a short period of time. During this time, the friction between the roller and the cleaning device effectively cleans the load roller and transfers the contaminates to the surface of the cleaning device. After the short period of time in which the roller continues to rotate, the CD player recognizes that the CD cleaning device is not a CD as the most interior load sensors do not sense movement of the cleaning device therein. Accordingly, the load roller reverses its direction ejecting the cleaning device automatically. The process can be repeated as often as necessary to maintain trouble free load operations. In addition to cleaning the loading roller, the cleaning disc contacts the upper and lower skid plates and also removes contaminates thereon.